Heartstrung Ruse - Petite Meller

Customised my white 'Ruse' Heartstrung doll, and I found inspiration in the delicate and quirky style of French singer Petite Meller.

It reminded me to start using the social media tag #orchidmakeover on my instagram to collect together my bjd face-up and custom work.

Before

After

Further Details:

Popovy Couture Creation

Inspired by High Couture Fashion of the 1990s - 2000 era, when designers began borrowing various elements from history and incorporating them in their own designs in modern and edgy ways. The catwalk became a canvas for fantasy and avant garde  imagination-  underwear became acceptable on the runway as outerwear, notably with Gaultier's cone-bra worn by Madonna. With the rise of designers like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Paul Gaultier, the high fashion world became an ephemeral platform for impractical and otherworldly creations. Compared to previous era's when a mere few centimetres of raised hemline could cause a stir, designers now had to stretch their imaginations to cause shock and gossip.

This era truly paved the way for fashion as we know it today, where "everything has been done" in previously in history, and designers are forced to look to the past and rely on their imaginations to come up with new combinations of refreshing the old.

This steely blue-grey "High Fashion" ensemble was created using the French traditional en-toile method: of laying fabric pieces directly on the model and hand-sewing to create one-of-a-kind couture versus using pattern pieces. Many of the fabrics start out as remnant "scraps" from designer gown offcuts, and I allow myself to react to their shape and colour, and how they sit on the doll when deciding on a design direction. I sew in a highly organic way, allowing the fabrics, textures and colours to dictate the direction of my design along the way, relying on aesthetics and meticulous design choices. Pieces are pinned, sewn, measured, re-measured, sewn, and adjusted until they fit the model perfectly, in this case the elegant and spindly bodies of the Popovy dolls.

Organza and beaded netting blouse, lace-up corset, ruffled panties with tiny silk bows, miniature stocking garters complete with tiny gold buckles, fine nylon hose with silk tassels and ribbon rosette's from Mokuba in Paris.

Bespoke Doll Furniture - Coming Soon!

You know it's true love when he starts making you finely crafted bespoke miniature doll furniture....

My amazing man has begun an endeavour of crafting beautiful doll lounges to custom fit certain dolls in my collection like Enchanted Dolls, Popovy Dolls, Blythe and BJTales dolls. Each piece is different, and I'm delighted with the fine attention to detail and precise perfection he is so meticulously finising - the individual bed slats are all drilled into place with tiny wooden spokes, joins are secured and designed for strength and safety. I'm astounded and couldn't be happier that my dolls will have such elegant and masterfully made furniture to lounge on - the perfect compliment to their tiny haute couture costumes.

Please enjoy this small selection of detail photographs of his process. The good news for you.... we will have some for sale to delight your dolls too!

The first three creations, first coat of primer and undercoat.

Each bed-frame plank is individually drilled, and slotted over tiny wooden spokes.

Creating a weatherboard bed-head.

Each join is drilled through and secured with tiny wooden spokes, not just glued.

Quality workmanship, the joins are not simply glued together, but secured with drilled spokes.

Adding tiny details before we prime, undercoat, then paint the finished pieces.

Keep an eye out on his Doll Photography FB page to see progress, and be the first to hear about when the first range is finished and available!

Garden of Delights - Custom Blythe

Garden of Delights

First Prize Winner - BlytheFest 2014 Australia

For Adoption

Garden of Delights - my very special custom Blythe who made her extravagant debut at Blythefest AU in Sydney, winning first prize in her category. She is an exquisite art-custom, her body and head fully covered in intricate hand painted floral vine motifs. She wears a large floral crown atop her spring green hair. She has been given "sleep eyes" and gaze adjustment, and has two of my crystal-resin glazed illustrated cameo pull-rings.

Front and Back face-plates feature a bouquet of beautifully painted garden flowers, roses, leaves and hydrangea blooms. Her entire body is encircled with vines and blooming roses, wrapping around her arms, torso and legs.

Her eyelids also feature floral continuation of her facial design, so that when she closes her eyes she can merge into her floral background... a wallflower, a perfectly camouflaged nature spirit. Eye-chips include 4 custom sets: one pair Takara pink, one pair Takara forest green, one pair hand-painted metallic silvery green, and one pair human-iris prints.

She has been meticulously sealed between each layer to protect her extensive painted designs. None the less, I would recommend she is handled minimally, and displayed in a clean dust-free environment, preferably enclosed within a glass dome or show cabinet to ensure her everlasting beauty. 

Garden of Delights

First Prize Winner - BlytheFest 2014 Australia

Diorama Competition

OOAK fully hand-painted art custom by Orchid's Designs #005

~AVAILABLE~

Enchanted Forest

Remember our special commissioned "Kingfisher" costume ensemble created for Blythecon Barcelona in collaboration with Liquiriziadolly? For the sake of this photoshoot at the time I adjusted the size to fit the exquisite Resin line of Enchanted Dolls, but never did share the fantastical results. 

Not wasting another second, please delight in this glimmering moment captured amongst the willows!

Thanks to Doll Photography for documenting this little wander amongst the willows. 

Full album of photo's can be viewed ~here~

Resin Enchanted Doll
Dressed and Wigged by Orchid's Designs
Location: North London Gardens 

All Photographs © DollPhotography AKA FourFingerPhoto

Kingfisher - The Enchanted Forest

My collaboration Blythe with Liquiriziadolly - Martina the glittering Kingfisher. 

She made her extravagant debut at "The Enchanted Forest" 2014 Blythecon Barcelona and is now available for adoption through Laura.

Contact Laura Liquiriziadolly for more information on Martina the Kingfisher!

Forest Minuet

For picnics in the forest, days dedicated to picking flowers and watching the clouds slowly creep across the sky, listening to the hum of cicadas and the trilling of birds.

This tiny dress for BJTales Alyona dolls is beautifully hand constructed, made from LE designer fabric from Liberty in London, with a fully lined bodice and re-enforced waist. A gathered frill at the hemline, and a tiny button and hidden snap enclosure at the back.

Will fit the darling resin "Alyona" dolls by BJTales, as well as the porcelain beauties with the "Ophelia" body.

**Available**

Dust - Custom Dal

Many things can fall into ruin and over time, turn to dust. Majestic empires, vast cities, exotic beauties, our hopes and dreams. 

But new life can rise up and flourish, transformed and altered, different but no less beautiful.

As this year comes to a close and we welcome the new, it is a time to reflect on changes, gains and losses, things achieved or unachieved. It is a time to let go of the past, bid it a fond or bitter farewell, and turn our shining faces to what is yet to come. It is a time to strengthen resolves, make plans and set goals.

As the old year dissolves into dust and the new year rises up, we introduce our newest custom doll, "Dust".

Dust is a fully customized Dal, built up to fully embody this special character: the spirit of Dust. Her face is carved and modified, sweet lips blushed berry red and tear-ducts for when she hears sad songs. Her make-up has been applied in many layers of artist and shimmering pastels, sealed in-between each layer with MSC. Her eye-chips are pearlescent tawny shades with flickers of gold, to match her heavy golden lids. Her pupils shimmer with dark metallic dust, deep as the night sky.

Dust wears an exclusive OOAK exclusive Orchid's Designs couture garment - tatters of chocolate silk and gauzy shreds, hidden beads and shimmering sequin details. Like all Orchid's Designs couture garments, this gown is made up from pieces sourced from my travels round the world: a chocolate scarf from wild Africa,  silk from a blouse that belonged to a Countess, tapestry thread from a renowned artist in Hungary, trims and laces from Paris, London and Budapest. She wears matching fishnet stockings and gloves edged with tawny trims. Her hair is an extravagant wig made from many hundreds of tiny soft brown feathers, each individually applied to a thin gauze skullcap. She wears tiny lace-up vintage boots by Gotall, sturdy enough to help her find new paths to explore in this great big world.

Lace-up back with tiny copper eyelets

~SOLD~

*

Bronze Songbird

"The songbird, prized for her enchanting and melodic voice is asked to perform again and again, taking listeners to far-away places, breaking hearts with her notes and weaving dreams with her words."

The Bronze Songbird design is a high-waisted skirt-corset with ruffles and decadent trims in varying shades of gold, deep bronze, and chocolate brass. Tiny beads hover round the layered organza skirt, and a matching necklace of beads circles her delicate neck. A lace-up back ensures a skin-tight fit for the resin beauties and ability to adjust for the slightly larger elite porcelain Enchanted Dolls.

The latest couture creation from the House of Orchid's Designs has been hand-crafted to fit the exquisite new limited line of Resin Enchanted Dolls.  A decadent piece with meticulous care to attention, it is sure to suit the style of an elegant beauty.

~ Available ~

Ballerina Fairy Dress Pre-Order

This fantastical frock is for a doll not of this world.... A gauzy gossamer dress with puffs of tulle. Shreds of lace, silk, threads, and beading give an otherworldly aura to this gorgeous gown. 

Each of our Haute Couture designs are one-off, but with the great response I've had for this design, I've decided to make it available in a few different colours - gold, pink, fuchsia, pastels.

Note that this colour edition pre-order will exclusively be limited to a few variations only, each piece exuding its own individuality and character. The gold will be majestic, the pink will be pretty, the Fuchsia will be vibrant with energy and fun, the pastel will be like a spring sunset....

 To place your order, please head to our Etsy Shop.